Life-preserver.



WITNESSES K. BRAUER. LIFE PRESERVER.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 6, 1912.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0., WASHING TTTTTT c Patented May 6, 1913.

I fi o ATM/7% KARL BBAUER, OIE LYNDHURST, NEW JERSEY.

LIFEPRESERVER.

Specification of Letters .Patent.

Patented May 6, 1913.

Application filed December 6, 1912. Serial No. 735,257.

To all whomit may concern.

Be it known that I, KARL Bnaunn, a subject of the German Emperor, and resident of Lyndhurst, in the county of Bergen and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Life-Preservers, of which the following is a specifi cation.

The present invention relates to life preservers, that is to buoyant devices, adapted to be attached to the person to prevent drowning in case of disasters at sea.

One of the objects of the invention is to produce a device of this character in the form of a plurality of inflatable tubes, which are adapted to be inflated through a single valve.

Another object of the invention is to provide a life preserver of this type with a plurality of receptacles adapted to contain food, water, signaling devices, etc., which receptacles are held in place upon the life preserver, when the same is fully inflated, without the aid of special fastening or securing devices.

A further object of the invention is to produce a life preserver of the character described which is simple in construction, efficient in operation, and which can be manufactured on a commercial scale, or in other words which is notso difficult to produce as to be beyond the reasonable costof such an article. 4

With these and other objects in View, which will more fully appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the combination, arrangement and construction of parts hereinafter fully described, pointed out in the appended claim and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it being understood that many changes may be made in the size and proportion of the several parts and details of construction within the scope of the appended claim without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

One of the many possible embodiments of the invention is illustrated in the ac companying drawings, in which Figure l is a plan view of a life preserver constructed in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof; Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 1 is a section taken through its valve mechanism.

In the drawings, the numerals 10, 10 indicate a plurality of inflatable tubes, closed at their ends 11, 11 by any suitable means. These tubes are, preferably, made of rubber, the length of an individual tube being substantially less than the circumference of a normal human body. These tubes are, preferably, placed on top of one another, and inclosed by a casing 12 of flexible water-proof 7 To the ends of the casing 12 are attached straps 13, 13, one of the same being provided with a plurality of perforations 14 and the other one with a buckle 15, which are adapted to be engaged with each other to hold the preserver around the body of the wearer. It is obvious that any other suitable fastening means may be made use of. Shoulder straps 16, 16 are secured to the casing 12, such straps being adapted to be engaged with the shoulders of the wearer to support the belt upon the body.

The tubes are adapted to be inflated by means of an air pump or similar device through a valve. This valve comprises a tubular stem 17, closed at its lower end 18, and provided at its upper open end with outer screw threads 19, which are adapted to mesh with the screw threads of the nipple of an air pump or other similar inflating device. This stem is provided with an aperture 20, which is normally covered by a rubber tube 21, acting in the well known manner as a valve. The stem 17 is arranged within a closed cylindrical hollow body 22, to which it is attached. The screw threaded end of the stem 17 projects through an opening in the body 22, the joint being made airtight. The hollow body 22 is attached in any suit-able manner to the inclosing casing 12, and projects into all of the tubes 10. The

interior of the body 22 is in communication,

with the interior of the tubes 10 through perforations 23, 23, there being as many perforations as there are tubes. The screw threaded end of the stem 17 is arranged outside of the casing 12, and is normally in mesh with the screw threads of a cap 24.

A plurality of receptacles 25, 25 is provided for containing food, water, signaling devices and valuables intended to be carried along. These containers are attached to plates 26, to which are fastened the ends of straps 27, engaging the lite preserver. The straps 27 with the receptacles attached thereto are shiftably mounted upon the lite preserver, no special means being provided for holding the same in place. lt is obvious that the food, waterand signaling device containing-receptacles are always filled, ready for emergency.

The operation of the device is as follows: Normally the tubes are in their deflated con ditions, folded up and stored away with the receptacles thereon at places where easy ac cess can be had to the same. In case of danger, the straps 16 are engaged with the shoulders of the person and the straps 18, 13 secured together by the aid of the separable fastening devices. The cap 2% is then unscrewed from the stem 17- and the nipple of a suitable inflating device brought into engagement therewith. The air forced into the stem 17 will enter the hollow body 22, and be distributed through its perforations 23 into the tubes 10. When the life pre server is fully inflated, the inflating device is detached from the same, and the cap 24L screwed into place. The inflating device may then be placed. into one of the receptacles 25. It is to be observed that the several tubes of the life preserver communicate with each other through the perforations 23 in the hollow body 22, such communication resulting in an equalization of pressure in the said tubes. As the inflation of the tube proceeds, the receptacles are shifted to places where they can be easily reached and, when the inflation is completed, they will be held in these places by the pressure which the tubes exert upon the plates 26 and the straps O x I hat I claim is A life preserver comprising a plurality of inflatable tubes arranged on top of one another and provided with closed ends, a casing of flexible water-proof material covering said tubes, means for separably securing together the ends of said casing, a valve mechanism common to all of said tubes through which the latter may be inflated, said valve mechanism aiiiording means through which all of said tubes communicate with each other, and a plurality of receptacles shittably mounted on said casing, said receptacles,

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

